Just because Senate Republicans failed in their attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare doesn't mean clear sailing for the Affordable Care Act.

Most Republicans and Democrats in Congress realize former President Barack Obama's signature legislation remains on life support, with many of the 18 million Americans relying on it for health insurance faced with limited or no insurers plus skyrocketing premiums and co-payments. Many large insurance companies also have cut ties with the ACA because of mounting losses.

However, Republicans failed to deliver on then-candidate Donald Trump's promise to scuttle Obamacare once elected despite enjoying a majority in both the House and Senate.

Republican Senate leadership couldn't even convince enough members of its own party to go along with two failed attempts to put a GOP stamp on health care, which Democrats firmly opposed. The GOP's latest version of the legislation would have gutted the central elements of Obama's law, including the requirement for Americans to carry health insurance or pay fines, and offered block grants to states to design their own systems with less federal control.

Having witnessed the flaws that have been exposed in the solely Democrat-passed Affordable Care Act, Republicans should have realized the pitfalls in trying to foist another one-party insurance proposal on the American public.

The latest repeal-and-replace bill's authors -- Sen.

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Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- promised to try again at a later date, but that probably won't happen for another year, since Republicans have turned their efforts to reforming the tax code.

So where does health care go from here? Should we let Obamacare implode, as some cynical Republicans suggest, or take limited steps to ensure its viability until Congress can produce a truly workable alternative?

There actually were some signs in Washington of a two-party approach to at least prop up Obamacare for the next two years, before the Republicans' latest repeal-and-replace bid.

Sen. Lamar Alexander, the Tennessee Republican who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said Tuesday he plans to resume bipartisan talks to stabilize health insurance markets and bring down premiums.

Alexander indicated he will consult with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and other Republicans and Democrats on jump-starting that process.

Their goal is a limited, short-term fix that could provide relief from higher premiums for those who buy individual coverage on one of the marketplaces created under Obamacare. The committee is aiming to reach a compromise that would give states more flexibility to design and regulate health insurance plans, while at the same time continuing the federal cost-sharing payments that enable insurers to reduce premiums for lower-income and middle-class Americans.

Compromise provides the only path for a sustainable answer to this country's health-care crisis. It could start with the small cooperative steps taken by this group of senators.

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